Confidence in Jehovah and practical righteousness

Psalm 23, and Psalm 24 go in a certain sense by themselves,
giving the perfect confidence in the Shepherd, Jehovah, founded on
the experience of what He is in all circumstances; and, secondly,
the character of those who would have a part with Jacob. The two
principles we have seen brought out as to Christ in Psalm 16, and
Psalm 17 (and shown in many others); confidence in the faithfulness
of Jehovah, and the practical righteousness which characterises
those who will stand in Jehovah's holy place in the time of His
millennial glory. But Jehovah Himself takes His place there as King
of glory. This gives us the divine side in all its perfectness, of
the principle of the path and the result in glory glory on earth
both as to the remnant, Christ, and Jehovah with the blessed
witness that on one side He took a place and part with the remnant
in' their divinely-given path, and on the other with Jehovah, for
He was really a man, but really Jehovah; the daysman that laid his
hand upon both.

What Jehovah is, in all circumstances -- past, present, future

But we must examine them a little more closely. The comfort of
Psalm 23 is not in what Jehovah gives, but in Himself. He does it
is the natural fruit of His grace at all times and will be the
result make us to lie down in green pastures, and lead us beside
the waters of peace: pleasant food where there can be no drought,
security in enjoying it, and guidance in divine refreshings in
peace. Such is the portion given by His shepherd care; but still it
is Himself as that which gives confidence and takes away care. Evil
is come in: we have to feel it we in ourselves, Christ in all that
was around Him; so that He could be full of sorrow and troubled we
alas! more than that. The Good Shepherd (and Christ is such for us)
restores the soul, and leads us in paths of righteousness for His
name's sake. The blessing depends on what He is, not on what we
have got. I have blessing indeed, and learn it in green pastures;
but, if troubled or gone astray, He restores. And not only sorrow
and evil had come in with sin, but death too. Then He comes and
leads me through it and comforts me. But there are enemies to
meet. I have a table spread, on which I feast in their very
presence. And how comforting this is to the Christian also! Hence,
as it is Jehovah Himself, and not our circumstances, the soul has
to depend on, it can say "Thou anointest my head with oil: my cup
runneth over." When I have contemplated all the pains and
difficulties of the way, I have Jehovah Himself more distinctly as
the blessing. Hence I can count on it for ever, for He changes
not. Experienced in the past, in all the effects of the power of
the enemy, and knowing what He Himself has been for me in them, I
can reckon on it in the future and at all times. The end of the
Lord's dealings will be our dwelling with Him for ever. The
blessing thus, though less apparent, is much deeper and more
personal, at the close; and, as we have said, the soul rests on
Jehovah known in all circumstances, not in the blessing it was
natural to Him to give.An exercised soul thus has in result a far deeper blessing than
an outwardly blessed one. So the result for Israel still I more for
us is more than the green pastures, in which originally Jehovah set
him. It is the deep knowledge in a tried heart of the faithfulness
of Jehovah: and thus, according to the blessing of His own nature,
the rest will be His rest. The green pastures were suited to sheep;
but the anointed head, and the cup running over, and the house of
Jehovah for ever, were what suited Him who dwelt there. Such is the
result, for the remnant, of trusting Jehovah, when the green
pastures are for the time, at any rate, lost. Such will follow the
Lamb. For us Christ is the Shepherd. We suffer with Him, and we
have yet better blessing. The Shepherd's care is there meanwhile
under another form.

What grace produced in the remnant

Psalm 24 gives, as we have seen, the other part of the condition
of the remnant as to the good that is working in them what grace
produced in them. Jehovah was the Shepherd by the way. At the end
the earth and the fulness of it are His the world and those who
dwell therein. Heaven does not here directly enter into the scene
on the road, nor at the end of it; but Jehovah has a special place,
a hill more especially His own, in the earth. Who shall ascend into
it? We then get their character clean hands, a pure heart. No
idol-following heart, no false oath with his neighbour. Such shall
be blessed. That is the generation, the real character of those who
seek Jacob; for in Jacob is God's seat. They seek Jacob as the
blessed people of Jehovah; but, if such ascend into the holy hill,
and enter into the holy place, the crowning blessing is that
Jehovah Himself enters in at the unfolded gates to dwell there. The
victorious Lord Jehovah of hosts enters in. It is Christ Himself
who took the place of His sheep to go before them, and has the
place of Jehovah, as that which is His by right, and in which He is
owned when the fulness of blessing comes in and is revealed.This closes the development of Christ's place in connection with
the remnant, first formally entered upon in Psalm 16. We have now
to go through the position of the remnant on a new ground and a
different footing.